From olden times, the Japanese have used hanko, or name stamps, instead of signatures, as a symbol of their identity. The red colour used in names stamps are said to be the sign for longevity, and since red is also the colour for endangered species, the hanko was considered for this project. A new solution in design was proposed by bringing Japanese culture and donations together.

The idea was to invite people to make name stamps that incorporated endangered animals (Red List Animals) into their name stamps.

All they needed to do was go to the special site, fill in their last name, and their name stamp with one of the endangered animals would appear. The visitors to the site were able to share their name stamps on SNS, or actually purchase the stamp. And part of the purchase price would be donated to WWF for environmental protection.

The design patterns of the name stamps extended to more than 22,000, which covered 90% of Japanese surnames. The high availability encouraged a large number of participants. For the designs of the endangered animals, 111 types of design were created. Since people were curious about the animal that would be paired with their name, this opportunity designed a new way for them to encounter endangered animals.

And the product, the name stamps that resulted from this, were high quality stamps that used environmentally friendly material that has cleared WWF environmental standards.

They were not just interesting designs, but authentic pieces that took the environment into consideration from all directions.

Success came from the fact that people became aware of animal protection through something they use every day; their name stamps. What was a symbol of identity, became a symbol for donations and changed the perceptions of the Japanese. In just 2 days, donations reached 1.5 million JPY. And 3 weeks after the start, over 8.3 million people had participated, and 11 thousand stamps had been delivered.

From the media point of view, a unique medium with only 9 mm in diameter, grew into media that generated a large movement, through usage and shares by the participants.

From the PR viewpoint, with zero advertising budget, the ad equivalent of exposure totalled over 70 million JPY, and donations amounted to 6.6 million JPY. And the biggest value, is that the endangered animals have been added into the Japanese people’s wish for longevity.